Vending machine



Aug. 19, 1924.

Filed .March 16 1922 2 shwrs-sheet l N. OBRADOVITS vENDING MAQHINE Filed Marsh 16, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 a@ 428 36 n? 55 n Patented Aug. 19, i924-,

ma STAT NICHOLAS OBRADVITS, OFSiT. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

veniamo MACHINE.

Application filed March 16, 1922.

Be it known that I, Nici-roms OaADo vITs, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State oi Missouri, have invented certain new and useitul Improvements in Vending Machines, off which the following is a speciiication containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof. f

My invention consists in the novel `con-` is delivered; and 'which machine shall deliver any number of ackages (up tothe capacity o1c the machine) consecutively, upon the deposit oit a like number o't 59T'. (or other valued) coins at one time, in the coin-chute of the machine.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved which cannot be detrauded by the use of coins, washers, or slugs, having a smaller diameter than that oi" the legitimate coins required to be deposited in the machine before packages or merchandise are delivered to customers.

In the drawings, I y

Fig. l is a perspective view of the eX- terior oit a vending-machine casing, con-` taining ive separate and independent ,vending-machines, for delivering several. kinds or flavors of chewing-gum, in wrapped packages, upon deposit ot the proper coins.

Fig. 2 is a side-elevation of a machine constructed in. accordance with my invention, but limited to the delivery of one flavor or brand of chewing-gum or other merchandise. n v

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, taken cen` trally ofthe single machine shownin Fig.vr

2, on the line 3 3 of Fig. 4. l y

Fig. l is a rear elevation, partly 1n sec,-

tion, oit the single machine that is vsho-wn line 5-5 et' Fig. 4.

vend ing-machine Serial N0. 544,067.

Fig. 6' is a vfragmentary sectional side-I elevation, the section being takenl on line 6 6 ot Fig. 5, showing the delivery-slide adjusted for rejecting and discharging a coin, or ay slug having too small a diameter.

Fig. 7 is a viewsimilar to the last, but showing the delivery-slide in the' act of being released .by a 5c coin, or by a coin having ther proper diameter, and

. Fig. 8 is a detail view of a proper coin, in position toraise and release the yielding locking-hanterpermit a delivery-movement of the delivery-slide.

The numeral l designate'slthe rcasing rof the machine, preferably made of sheetmetal and rectangulaij'fin shape, and supported upon rubber feetor disks 2,'depending from the underside of a heavy basepl'ato 3, around the upper edge of which are heavy metallic moldings 4, that hold the machine securely inf position upon the store-counter, table-top, orother supporting surface, in cigar-storespdrug-stores, railway-stations, restaurants, and in any other location where chewing-gum and similar merchandise are sold.

Said casing l is provided with a removable cap or top 5, which slides in horizontal. guides A6, so thatsaidk top can be romoved by sliding same rearwardly, after first detaching the X.lock 7, or by unlocking any other formof lock that is used indetachably fasteningsaid top in a closed position; ,y y

In the present case, the said sliding top 5 has a downwardly-extending 'lockingflange 8 formed integral with its rear end or edge, and in this flange is a staple-opening 9, through `which extends a staple l0 lwhose legs are iXed to the adjacent upper Ain` ordinary pad-lock 7 ehgagesthe said i staple l0, on the "rear side` of said locking-Q flange 8, and thereby locks both the.y said top 5 and the back-plate ll secu-rely iny place, without the necessity of more than oneloek." Fig. 3@ Y Qt course,y the above described locking-` means is but one of many Well-known arrangements for locking the casings of vending-machines, and it may therefore be changed or replaced by any other lockingmeans.

Said detachable back-plate 11 extends the full height of the casing 1, and upon its removal ready and convenient access can be had to the interior of the casing, throughout the height of the latter, in placing the packages ofv chewing-gum or other merchandise in the machine, and in inspecting and repairing the various parts thereof.

In continuing this description, I will conine it to a single vending-machine mechanism, with the understanding` that when it is desired to locate a plurality of them in' a single large casing 1, mere'duplication of the' said vending-machine mechanism will be necessary,y as all are preferably alike in all essential particulars. Please see Fig. 1 for an illustration of the proposed duplication, wherein livey separate and independent vending-machines are arranged within a single large casing.

In the front of the casing 1 is a sightopening 14, in the rear of which is a glass plate 15v supported in suitable holdingdevices 16, so that a clear view of the superimposed packages v1f? contained in the machine may be had by. a person in front of the same.

In the present form of the machine, there is a vertical package-chute or chamber 18, in which the packages are superimposed and visible through a sight-opening 19 formed in the front wall of said chute, and directly in the rear of the glass 15 of the said casing sight-opening 14.

.Said vertical. package-chute 18 is rectangular in shape and of sufficient length tor extend from said top 5 of the casing downwardly a. sutlicient distance to contain twenty' ot the well-known rectangular packages of chewing-gum now on the market, and an additional distance, to provide space in said chute for several hold over packages, which might be found unsold in the chute at the time the supply of twenty additional packages is put in it. Fig. 3.

Said package-chute 18 is inserted from the top, and maybe removed thereat, by merely removing the. locked top 5 of the casing, and pulling said chute out.

The upper andv lower ends of the said f vpackage-chute 18 are tree-ly open, for the insertion of packages at the upper end, and for the delivery of packages consecutively at the lower o-pen end of said chute, in the manner described hereinafter in detail.

A straight vertical coin-chute 20 has its upper end mounted or held in a bearing 21 f formed-in a thick horizontal top-support 22,

Fig. 3, that is iXedlwithin the casing 1 closely adjacent the said casing top 5. l i The upperand vlower ends of'said coine f chute 2OA are open, so that one or more coins Said coin-chute 2O extends downwardlyk to a point a slight distance above the open upper end or edge of a coin-pocket 25 that is carried by a horizontal delivery-slide 26. and which coin-pocket is normally located directly beneath the lower open end ot said coin-chute, in position to receive the coins consecutively deliveredby said chute. Figs. 3 to 7.

Said delivery-slide. 26 has its opposite vertical walls mounted to slide vin horizontal guides 27 of aI horizontal slide-holder 28 that is xed in the lower portion of said casing 1y immediately above a money-till or coin-box 29.

A coin-slot 30 is formed in the bottom of the said slide holder 28, at a point just in advance of the said coin-pocket 25, so that when the said delivery-slide 26 is ypulled out by its handle 31 to a coin-delivery position, in which it is shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the lower open end of the said coin-pocket 25 will register with the said coin-slot in the bottom of said slide holder, and thereby permit the coin that is in said pocket to drop through said slide-holder coin-slot, and fall into the underlying coin-box 29, which latter is removably supported upon an internal base 32, at the lower end of the machine.

At the fro-nt of the said delivery-slide 26, and fixed thereto, so as to move therewith, is a horizontal push-bar 33, whose outer edge engages the adjacent edge of the lowermost one of the. gum-packages (or other merchandise) 17, and pushes same. off or". the package. supporting surface 34 of the front portion of the bottom ofk said delivery-slide holder 28, onto the adjacent delivery-receptacle 35 located on the front of the machine, convenient for the purchaser to grasp and re- `move, whenever said delivery-slide is drawn outwardly by its handle 31 to a packagedelivering position, which is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 7.

The said delivery-slide 26 is normally held in a retracted position, and is automatically returned thereto, a'lter a delivery, by coiled (or any approved form of) springs 36 which are arranged for said work; the front ends of said springs 36 being (in the presentillustration) secured to the rear edge. of the said horizontal push-bar 33 of said deliveryslide, and the rear ends of said springs are fastened to the rear vertical wall 37 ont said slide-holder 28, by means of suitable fastenings 38. Fig. 5.

iAt the lower end of the said package-chute 18, the rear wall thereof is continued downwardly to form a package-stop or'fender 39v nov er, l,

which extends below the front vwall of saidv upon said supporting-surface 34 of the said slide-holder 2S, as shown in Fig. (i, ready to be pushed to delivery when said deliveryslide is again pulled out. i

The deliveryslide 26 is normally locked, and no delivery can be made, until said slide has been released by the insertion of a proper cointhrough the said Coin-slot 2li, which will immediately fall through the said coin-chute and come to rest in the underlying coinpocket 25, and its periphery will project a distance above said pocket andA will be brought into contact with a yielding lockbar '40 that extends horizontally across the delivery-slide, and said lock-bar will be raised a slight distance, and permit the locking-projection 41 of said delivery-slide to pass under said lock-bar to a delivery position. See Fig. 7.

Said locking-projection l1 is located at the front end of a curved or rounded support 42, which rises from the bottom of said delivery-slide 26, and after 'saidflockbar has been elevated to a release-position, as just described7 said bar is held elevated by said curved support, until the said slide reaches the limit of its delivery movement, when said lock-bar will again assume a locking position, by reason of said rear portion of said curved support 42 passing' beneath said bar, and the outer movement of said delivery-slide will be stopped by a second locking-projection 43 at the inner end of said rounded-support coming 'in contact with the inner edge 'of said lock-bar; and thus further outward movement of said slide will vbe prevented.

Then the said delivery-slide will be returned to its normal position by the action of said springs 36, ready to make another delivery. Should a customer wish more than one package, he may drop into the coinslot 24- as many proper coins as he wishes and said plurality of coins will rest superposed edgewise in the said coin-chute, ready to be fed consecutively into the said coinpocket of the delivery-slide 26 as the latter is moved out and in, and the customer will receive a package for each proper coin that he deposits in the machine, even to the full capacity of same.

When the delivery-slide 26 is at the limit of its outward movement, inv making a de- 'livery,'the additional coins which may have been deposited kin the coin-chute by a custemer, will .besupported by reason of the'r lowermost one of said coins resting on a horizontal coin-supporting bar 414: which is carried by said'slide directly in the rear of the said coin-pocket 25, and which runs beneath' the said lowermost coin as said slide is moved outwardly to a delivery position.. Upon retraction of said deliveryslideand said coin-supporting bar thpthe'lowermost coin of thelot will drop into the coin-pocket 25, and so on, until all of the coins 'of the lot have been used in making deliveries of packages, as desired. y

cross-bar 45 yis :[ixed in position abmf'e the said delivery-slide 26, and` supports 'and holds the lower' portion of the coin-chute 2O with .itsl interior in alignment with the said coin-pocket, when the delivery-slide is in its normal position, so that coins willy drop from said coin-chute into the open:

upper end of said coin-pocket 25,4 as before explained in part.

vSaid yielding lock-bar et() has one yof 'its ends mounted in a bearing 46, which will permit that end of said bar to move up and down a limited distance, at one side of the said slide-holder 28, rand the opposite end of said bar issecured to the said slide-holder by means of a screw 47; Fig.

A slot 8in the bottom ofy the said delivery-slide 26 rpermits the latter to move ufithout interfering with a short vertical lock-bar spring 4.9,.the upper end of which is attachedto lsaid bar at a point adjacent the end that moves in said bearing 16, and

the lower portion yof which spring extends through said slot 48 and .is fixed to the underlying bottom of said slide-holder 28.

Said spring i9 yieldingly holds down the bearing end of said lock-bar LO.

In lilling the rsaid package-,chute 18, it need not be removed from the machine, because. (at the present time) the lower end ofV said chute is open, and if same were filled while removed from the machine, there is,

nothing to hold the packages at thelower end ofthe chute and they would slide down into the empty space in the casing, and be therein piled up promiscuously, and would prevent the insertion of said chute.

Therefore, I prefer to ill the chute `18 while it is in place in the machine, as this can be yquickly accomplished lby, properly and symmetrically placing the packages 1n said chute, one at a time, through the open upper enda and ytemporarily supporting the growing column of rpackages by means of a removable wire gunr r(or package) fillingholder or tool 52, which is curved laterally or offset at54, so that the T-shaped supporting-headk of said holder may be passed forward at one side of the said coin-'chute 20, and enter a transverse slot 51 in the rear wall of said packageclnite, near the lower end of the latter, and thence upward to the proper location in said package-chute, to

support and gradually lower the packages, until the lowermost one 1s near the lower said filling-holder by way of said slot- 51, a long vertical slot 50 in the said rear wall of said package-chute permitting the upward and downward movements of the said head of said Filling-holder.

The said filling-holder or tool 52, when not in use, is conveniently hung upon a Fillingholder hook 53 which is fixed in the underside of the said thick coin-chute top-suo port 22, and depends therefrom in the space in said casino' l between said back-plate ll and said coin-chute 20 where it will be preserved against accidental loss or theft, and will always be readily at hand when wanted 'for use in `filling the package-chute, as described. f

The opcW/tz'on.

The operation of my invention will be readily apparent from the above descripti on, and need not be further explained, ev-` vslide 26, and said bar will therefore remain in its normally locking-position, and the delivery-slide cannot be withdrawn far enough to make a delivery, but the penny or other inserted illegitimate coin or slug, will be discharged downwardly through said coin-slot 30 in the bottom of the slideholder 28, and will drop into the underlying till or coin-receptacle 29. See Fig. 6.

I claim l.. In a vending-machine, the combination of a casing; a vertical package-chute and a vertical coin-chute mounted parallel in said casing; a coin-receptacle in the lower portion of the casing; a delivery-slide having a coin-pocket and mounted beneath the lower ends of said package and coin chute-s; a liexible loclcbar extending transversely of said delivery-slide and normally locking same. and preventing its delivery-movement until said lock-bar is lexedupwardly by va coin that is located in said coin-pocket; and a horizontal coin-supporting bar carried by said delivery-slide in the rear of said coinpocket, to support the additional coins in said coin-chute when said delivery-slide is pulled out to make a delivery.

2. The combination of parts specified lin the above claim l, with a screw which secures one end of said flexible lock-bar to said delivery-slide, and a .bearing for the opposite end of said lock-bar, to

permit same toI move therein.-

In testimony whereof,l have signed myy 

